Phoenix-Born: The Dar'okan Half-Breed
by Kathyrine M
Summary: Kari and her twin sister, Ranien, are princesses of the Dar'okan Elves with a questionable lineage. When they find out the truth, Ranien gets kidnapped and Kari takes matters into her own hands with the help of her comrades. Will she save her sister, or will she find Ranien as another prisoner?
1. Chapter 1

I was still young when I realized that I was different. Young is a relative term… Young for me is old to others, and younger still to the Dar'okan Elves, although I looked about five years older than the other children my age. Even though I matured faster than my peers, I was naïve enough to believe that it was nothing to be concerned about and that it would stop once I reached a certain height or build.

Then the other children began to tease me, pointing out the differences in appearance between us: My skin was a pale, alabaster white compared to their dappled white, grey, and black skin; my facial features were harsher and more prominent compared to their delicate ones; and my build was curvier than their wisp-like builds.

When they mentioned these things, I began to notice them, too. I _was_ different. I didn't understand why I was different from them, and pondered the thought on my way back to the palace from my studies that day. I absent-mindedly made my way through the dark, shadowy halls of the palace's main hallway, and found myself in front of a large, oak double-door, blackened with age, but still remarkably sturdy. I grabbed the large, silver knocker that could have fit a Giant's hand and knocked three times. It was so heavy that knocking alone bade me draw breath. The doors creaked open and I made my way into the room.

"Princess Kari of the Dar'oka Deep!" My name was announced by an unseen herald, but as I was used to this, I gave it no attention and approached the throne where my father sat. I remember him looking dark and cruel on the throne. I knew that was not the way he normally was, and I imagined the change came from the throne itself. For every time he sat on it, his face would grow cold and unfeeling. It was my misfortune that I came to speak with him as he was seated on it.

My hands grew cold and sweaty, my legs shook beneath my black silken gown. I kept my eyes downcast as I reached the mark a princess was allowed to approach in the king's court. I bowed, as dignified a princess to a king, and waited for my father to speak first.

He did not speak for what seemed a long time, and I kept my head bowed, which was appropriate and enabled me to keep from looking at the imposing figure before me. To anyone who was not accustomed to our court, he may have looked like a statue; like the statue in the temple of Dar. The statue of our main god, Dar, was of course, not my father. Seeing as how my father had no horns growing from atop his head, nor hair made of leaves. But the overall presence was the same. A presence that demanded respect.

"What brings you here?" His voice was deep, and his words and inflections commanded an answer.

I was not used to speaking with my father while he was on the throne and hesitated. If I had found him somewhere else, his voice would have been softer, his words more comforting, seeing me in distress. But I had not. He was on his throne, and he had become someone else. No, he had become a king, rather than a father. I stilled my rapidly beating heart and prepared myself to speak.

"I merely had a question, that I believe only you can answer."

He remained silent for many moments as if contemplating something very serious, but eventually replied, "What is your question?"

"I have noticed, as have other children I take my studies with, that I am different from the others. I do not have the Dar'okan Elf skin, nor their features nor build." I had to pause here to take a breath and steady myself.

"That is not a question. Ask your question now, or leave."

Clenching my hands together to keep from shaking, and my eyes closed to shut off the whispers I heard from the others around me, I asked my question:

"Why? Why am I different?"

Silence. Complete silence. The others had stilled now, in light of my question, and I could not help but think that it was because they knew. I opened my eyes and looked around me. The ministers, advisors, and lords and ladies of the court were standing deep in the shadows, out of the eyes of my father. I stood in the middle of the room, close to the steps ascending to the throne, where a faint light (common in the Dar'oka Deep to signify day-time) shown on me. Slowly, I looked up at my father. His eyes were dark and narrow, as if contemplating a difficult decision.

"You are a Half-Breed. Half Human, half Dar'okan Elf."

It was as if someone had swung a hammer into my chest. I stumbled back a step from the blow of it. I remember my lungs straining for breath, my mind erased of all thought except the sudden information I had learned.

"Half-Bre-" I couldn't make myself say it. "What do you-"

"Your mother, the late Queen Gwendolynn, was a Human," my father interrupted me. "So you, as being her daughter, are a Half-Breed."

It didn't make any sense. Our forest was virtually unknown to even the most astute scholars of the world above, and even to most of the Under-Dark. Anyone who set foot into our forest were hunted and killed. How was my mother a Human?

"Is there anything else?" He said it so nonchalantly, as if this news were old and were no big deal. It angered me. Sitting on the throne or not, how could he turn my world upside down and act as if he did nothing?

"Yes." My eyes narrowed, and my voice grew more steady with my anger boiling inside me. "How can I be part Human? Isn't our forest unknown to the outside world? Don't we mercilessly kill anyone who steps foot onto it? How can I be part Human?! It doesn't make sense!" My fists clenched, and I saw something I never had before. I saw bright light flashing throughout the room. I did not understand it, but I paid it no mind, and focused on the task at hand.

I saw my father's eyes grow wide and a look of surprise, replaced by panic, flashed across his finely shaped features. He leaped from his throne and called out loudly, "Guards! Escort the child to her chambers! NOW!" Guards were suddenly surrounding me and shepherding me out of the throne room without touching me. It was forbidden for anyone other than others of the royal family to touch me. But they did fast of their work and I was soon in my own chambers in the Children's Wing. I was nearly fifteen, and thought myself already old enough to have chambers outside this nursery, but when I looked at other children my age, they looked very much younger than I. If I had been ten years of age, my looks may have matched theirs.

But that was not my concern at the moment. My anger had faded and was now replaced with fear. I had yelled at my father… I had yelled at the _king_! If anyone else had done it, they would have been taken to the dungeons immediately. I hoped that me being a princess, and his daughter at that, would give me some leeway. Wringing my hands, I walked back and forth across the room, thinking of the best way to apologize to Father. Should I fling myself to the floor and beg for his forgiveness? Or should I maintain my dignity and coolly apologize while explaining my case?

I was still in this state of debate when my chamber doors opened and Father strode into the room. I stopped pacing and ran to meet him, my head bowed.

"Kari-"

"I'm sorry, Father!" I interrupted him. I must have my say before he can give me my punishment, I thought. "I was overwhelmed with the news and didn't understand it. To be honest, I still don't, but I must apologize for my behavior in court. It was undignified as a princess and brought shame to you. Forgive me!"

I heard a sigh escape Father lips, and felt his hand on my shoulder. I looked up into his face and saw what I least expected to see. Sorrow. "Silence, child. Come. Let us speak comfortably, you and I." As expected, he'd become the loving father I liked most. He ushered me to the couch in the center of the room, and sat down. "You there!" he called to the servants near the door, "Bring us refreshments."

"Yes, Sire!" they called, and left the room.

"Now we may speak in private." He said lightly and gave me a mischievous wink. I gave a weak smile, my mind still too burdened by the day's activities and actions to give a real one. Seeing this, Father's eyes grew dim and he reached out to hold my hand. "I know what ails you, Kari, and I know it does not make sense to you right now, but it all will in due time. I am sorry I had to send you from the throne room in such a fashion. As king, I have to maintain that kind of presence so my subjects will not disobey."

"I understand… But what does that mean, Father? How will it make sense in due time?" This was getting more complicated the more the day went on.

"There are some things about how your mother came to be here that you can never know. If you do, the pain you feel now will only be deepened. Seeing you in the throne room today, I knew this was going to happen, but I thought it best you at least know this much about yourself."

I nodded. He was not going to explain any more to me, and I was not going to ask. Asking would only make him angry, and I was enjoying this time with him now, as opposed to when we were in the throne room. I would find out about myself and Mother in my own time, in my own way.

"Father," I said, deciding to change the subject, "Did you see bright lights earlier? It seemed as if the sun from the world above were trying to break it's way through."

"No, I didn't. It must have been your imagination, dear." He smiled, but I saw that he was hiding something… Hiding what, I couldn't tell, but his smile seemed not to reach his eyes.

"There are many things I must see to, as King, and so I must leave you now. Do not cause any more trouble, and stay here." He abruptly stood up and was walking to the door.

"Yes, Father." I replied, standing to see him out.

He turned and placed a cool hand on my cheek. "Remember what I told you, Kari, and everything will be well."  
I nodded once more, and he left my room.

Soon after my discussion with Father, the servants brought in the refreshments he had ordered and abruptly left almost as quickly as they had come. The silver platter seemed to glow in the faint light coming from the open windows, and the scent of the fruits on the tray traveled with the wind to give a clean, refreshing scent to the room. I picked up a piece of fruit and absent mindedly nibbled on it while walking to the open balcony, thinking of the day's happenings. The white, transparent fabric of the curtains of the balcony blew softly in the breeze. There were such beautiful things in the Dar'oka Deep, but they all seemed to have the same colors of different shades: green, brown, black, and white. No other colors were found here, but at the time, it did not matter, because it was all I knew. Although many things tended to shine and glow because of the light from the Under-Dark, the glow was always a pale white, and seemed to be the workings of the imagination instead of an actual glow.

Lost in these thoughts and others, a message came in my mind:

 _Are you alright? I know what happened._

It was from my elder twin sister, Ranien. Dar'okan Elves are always born with a twin, triplets or single children being extremely rare. Born as twins, we were also born with a telepathic link between us, as are other Dar'okan Elves.

 _I am fine now_ , I thought. _Father is hiding something from me, but I plan on seeking what it is._

 _Are you sure?_

 _Yes. I need to know about Mother. And about myself._

 _You'll need an expert then. I'll be to your chambers in a few minutes. Wait for me._

Just as promised, a few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. I went to answer it and was met with a girl with the same face as me. I let her in, and we both sat on the couch, as Father and I had.

"So how are you an expert on Mother?" I asked, teasing slightly, knowing she was talking about me.

"Be quiet," She responded, seeming to be a bit exasperated with my teasing. "Tell me everything that happened. I was only able to find out what happened by eavesdropping on the ministers."

"First, tell me what you know. It'll be easier to tell you what information you're missing that way."

She nodded and told me that she had heard from various ministers during her eavesdropping attempts that I had come into the throne room and asked the king about our mother. She also said that she had heard I had yelled at him, and he had dismissed me from the throne room to be confined to my chambers as punishment.

I sighed. Oh, how rumors grew… Though I couldn't blame them entirely. I had believed the exact same just a few minutes before. "That is not everything, and some of what you have heard is not true. Father sent me to my chambers because he couldn't speak to me like a daughter in the throne room. Something about maintaining face… But later he told me that I would understand everything in due time, and not to ask any more questions."

"I see…" Ranien's face grew inquisitive, and her eyes darted back and forth. "I agree, Kari. It's best not to ask any more questions regarding Mother or our heritage... At least not to HIM."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we got caught and scolded by Father for sneaking into his study?"

"Yes. We weren't able to leave our quarters for an entire week. Isn't that also when he made us get separate rooms?"

She nodded. "Far away enough from each other that our telepathy wouldn't work… But just suppose that his study is kept restricted for a reason. Just suppose there's a book or scroll in there about our mother?"

It seemed to make sense… Father seemed reluctant to speak of her, and he wouldn't allow us into his study… Perhaps there WAS a link between them? Or maybe it was because it was full of other important documents he didn't want his children messing with?

I decided the rewards would outweigh the risk, if anything about our mother was in there. "So. What's the plan, Ranien?" Her plans were always mischievous and partly dangerous, but almost always seemed to work.

"We should sneak in the study tonight and see if we can't find something about her."

"But Ranien-" I started, feeling uneasy about it.

"Do you want to find out about Mother or not?"

When she put it that way, it was hard to refuse. I pushed my fear down my throat. "Fine. Meet me there an hour after the servants go to sleep. We can't have anyone reporting this back to Father."

"Agreed. And be careful of the Watchmen. They patrol everywhere late at night."


	2. Chapter 2

The corridors were quiet and dark. Of course, that made no difference to me. Thanks to my half-Elf heritage, seeing in the dark was no big deal to me. I quietly walked in the shadows and carefully rounded a corner. The door to the study was around the corner and dimly lit by a low burning torch on the wall. Looking around to verify that no one was watching, I quietly walked to the door and opened it just enough to peek around. To no surprise, the room was dark, the only light coming from the windows. I snuck inside and quietly closed the door behind me. Walking up the wide, winding staircase, I approached a gated part of the study that seemed darker than the rest.

A thought suddenly popped into my mind. _Are you in the Library?_

 _Yes_ , I thought. _I'm at the gated section_.

 _Great. I'm here too._

I looked around me, but didn't see anyone.

 _Where?_

 _Inside. I found something that you should see._

Curiosity peaked, I opened the latch and walked inside. Looking down the rows of bookshelves for Ranien, I spotted her looking in a large book.

"Ranien!" I whispered loudly.

She looked up and waved me over. "Look at this!"

I walked over to her and looked at the book she was holding. It was very big, the writing in gold and they seemed to glow with a faint yellow light. Again, I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but when I touched the pages, they were warm.

"What is this?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but when I saw it, it's like… It seemed to call out to me."

"I think I know what you mean…" The book seemed to have a hypnotic charm because I couldn't take my eyes off of it. The words leapt out at me:

 _The Phoenix-Born: A millennium ago, the first Phoenix-Born were born. When the Phoenix incinerated itself, a curse laid on it by an unknown deity or demon lord, caused it to scatter its ashes instead of resurrecting as normal. Whether it was a backlash from an epic spell or purposefully done, its powers were transferred to an unborn human child. This became the first and true Phoenix-Born: Chaos Von Kreiger. After a thousand years of breeding, the powers of new generations have been diluted, though with perseverance and training, their ancestral powers can be unlocked._ Afterward followed a list of powers known to the Phoenix-Born: _Power Flare: Hair and eyes change color to gold, ancestral tattoos appear on body. Fire resistance and fast healing, but gains vulnerability to cold._

A sound suddenly came from the door of the study. Ranien quickly shut the book, the hypnotic charm broken by the soft sound. Peeking around the shelves, we looked down the staircase and saw a Watchman open the door to the study. Knowing their keen sense of sound, I used hand motions to signal to Ranien that we should make our escape. She hid the book we had been reading under her cloak, and we silently moved toward the door and left as the Watchman made his routine check. Racing down the hallways, we were able to make it back to my chambers without anyone detecting us.

"That was close," said Ranien with a wide smile that she always got when she'd gotten away with something.

"We didn't find what we were looking for though…"

"We'll just have to try again tomorrow." She took the book out from beneath her cloak and handed it to me. "Take it. Hide it somewhere safe. If anyone realized that it's missing, I'll probably be the first they'll search. You know how I always get into trouble," she added with a mischievous grin.

I sighed and took the book.

"You should leave and go back to your room then. If anyone finds _you_ missing, _I'll_ be the first they'll search."

She laughed lightly and said, "You're right. Goodnight, Kari. Tomorrow, we search again."

"Goodnight, Ranien."

She quietly made her way out of my chambers and I was left alone with the book. I wasn't sure why we took the book, but it seemed important to me. And Ranien. But I wasn't sure why at the time. I hid the book in a secret compartment in one of my vanity tables, and decided it best that I rest for the night. If Ranien had her way, we'd have a very long day ahead of us tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

I fell into the dirt with a loud thud, the little pebbles scraping my hands and knees, making them burn. Rolling over, I looked up into the faces of my attackers. Two boys and a girl were looming over me, their dark green eyes the same as mine, another trademark of the Dar'okan Elves.

"You don't belong here," said one of the boys with a glare, whose name I had heard was Danimen.

"That's right," said the other boy, Konan. "Why don't you just leave, you filthy half-breed?"

The girl was a classical beauty for elves. She was tall, and graceful like a willow tree. But her mind was as dark and cruel as they come. "Why don't you just leave her be?" she said, her voice beautiful like chimes. The boys eyes softened at the sound as they turned to look at her. "She belongs right where she is, with her own kind: dirt." A sneer crossed her lips and her eyes were cold.

The others laughed and they began to walk away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I heard a yell come from behind me. I turned to see my sister running toward us, a look of pure rage marking her features. The others turned to look as well.

"Oh great… Here comes Half-Breed-Number-Two…" muttered Danimen.

Ranien had reached us now, and her hands were balled into fists, her breaths short. Be it from the exercise of running to me or her anger, I wasn't sure.

"How dare you shove a royal princess into the ground! Just wait until I speak to the king about this!"

"What did we do wrong?" asked the girl snidely. "We merely reunited her with her family." She motioned to me covered in the dirt, and looked up at Ranien with an evil smile. "As we will you, if you'd like. Really, you should be thanking us," she continued as she flung her speckled black and white hair over her shoulder.

"What?" Ranien seemed at a loss for words. It was understandable, seeing as how we had never been treated thusly.

"And just try to tell the king," the girl continued. "Seeing as how he dismissed his own daughter from court and confided her to her room for merely asking about her mother, I doubt he'll do much about this little… incident," she said as she motioned to me with her hand. The girl chuckled and turned around to walk away.

I looked up at Ranien. Her eyes were on the girl, her hands still clenched, and her breathing still ragged. And then I saw something extraordinary… Her eyes changed color. Instead of the dark forest-like green, they were golden. And then her hair changed as well. It was as if a fountain of liquid sun were being poured into her every hair cell from the roots downward. Her skin began to change; golden emblems, the like of which I had never seen before, looked as if they were being written all over her body.

"Ranien… You… You're…" I didn't know what to say or do. I didn't know what was happening, and was a bit frightened, myself.

And then she screamed and ran at the girl. The scream seeming to echo into every fiber around me. Jumping on her back like a ferocious wild cat, she knocked the girl down and began pummeling her face with her fists. The boys, alarmed at the sight of Ranien ran away.

I had to stop her… Somehow. This was not going to have ended well either way, whatever Ranien would have done, but she would get into serious trouble over this. I stood up. Not bothering to brush myself off, I ran over to Ranien and pulled her off of the girl.

"No! I'll kill her! I'll kill her for what she's said!" She screamed and thrashed to get me off of her, but I pinned her arms behind her, and held her still. Not without trouble, however.

I looked over at the girl, and her face was nearly unrecognizable. Not only were the places she'd been beaten already starting to bruise, but her face was covered in blood. Her nose had been broken, probably in more than one spot, and had most likely lost more than a few teeth. But then I saw that her skin had been scorched as well. It was as if something extremely hot had punched her repeatedly instead of my sister.

It was only then that I noticed that my hands were smoking from holding my sister. Her skin felt like a hot pan. I quickly removed my hands, and Ranien raced back to the girl, still lying on the ground. A fairly large group of people had formed a kind of circle around us and were screaming and jaunting, egging my sister on. I looked down at my hands, and they were red, still burning from the heat contained in my skin.

I didn't know what to do. If I grabbed her again, I'd be burned. And as nasty as that girl was, I couldn't allow her to be killed by my sister. When she cooled down, I knew she would regret what she had done. She may be rash and get into trouble all the time, but she wasn't a murderer.

I ran back over to her, but before I could do anything, men in full armor broke the circle of people and pried Ranien off of her, carrying her away. I remember the sound of her cries of anger as she thrashed against them. Before long, she was out of my sight and the crowd gradually dispersed.

I stood there for a long time, in shock of what had happened. The girl was gone now, carried off by some of the soldiers; no doubt to an infirmary. I looked at where she had lain, the ground already soaked in her blood.


	4. Chapter 4

I ran through the palace halls. I had to find Father. On my way back to the palace, I'd heard whispers of how the king had sent his own daughter to the dungeons for nearly killing a civilian. And how that daughter was a monster, her whole appearance changing in her rage to that of a wild beast. If such rumors had already reached my father, I had to find him to make them right. I had to tell him that she was defending me, and how the victim had instigated the fight. Maybe then he would have some leniency.

Making my way to the Royal Chambers in the main palace, I saw guards blocking the entrance.

"Make way," I said, my voice short of breath. "I must speak to the king."

"He specifically requested not to be disturbed," stated one of the guards.

"But this is important! My sister's life may hang in the balance!" I screamed. My hands turned into fists by my side in an effort to control my rage and impatience.

"Apologies, Princess. But I have my orders."

My mind raced. Ranien was stuck in the dungeons, and my father wouldn't see me. What would I do?

I turned and raced back down the halls toward the dungeons and descended the stairways two steps at a time. Finding the door to the dungeons unguarded (most likely they were in between shifts), I opened the heavy door and found myself assaulted by the stench of rotting flesh. I nearly vomited from the smell. Forcing myself inside, I made myself see in the dark. It wasn't just any darkness. It was a pitch blackness, with no light coming from anywhere. I walked forward, my feet not making a sound. Looking in the cells on either side of me, I saw men and women. Some where in rags, others completely nude; some were hanging from the moss-covered walls by thick chains, others were huddled in the corners in a fetal position, or just lying on the ground. I wasn't sure which were dead and which were alive, save from the moans of agony coming from some of the cells. Faint screams came from a distant room, and I could only imagine the horrors taking place in there. I forced myself to walk further, concentrating on the one fact that made me enter this god-forsaken place: My sister was somewhere in here.

I finally reached her cell. It was larger, and seemed cleaner than the others I had seen, but it was still a cell in a dungeon.

I ran to the bars separating us, and called out her name in a harsh whisper. "Ranien!"

Her head shot up and her thought entered my mind at once: _Quiet!_

I wasn't sure why she ordered me to stay quiet. She was in a cell, for goodness-sake. But I would do as she said, if only to please her. _Ranien_ , _I've come to get you out of here. Once I explain to Father what happened, I'm sure he'll understand_.

 _Kari…_ Even her thoughts sounded haunted with grief. _I'm so sorry… I had no idea… I've endangered us both. If anyone catches you here, you could be in just as much trouble as I._

 _Don't worry about me right now. The only one in trouble here is you. But don't worry. I'll make everything better._

I saw her shake her head sadly. _There is much more to this than you understand. More than what I knew, or I would have let that bitch walk away. For both our sakes…_ She looked at me. Her eyes hidden in blackness, so I couldn't judge her expression. _Kari. Walk away from this. I can take care of myself, and I won't have you brought down by me. You've always been the good one from the two of us. No one should have any reason to suspect you. Your only fault would be to be my twin._

I didn't understand what she was saying. Suspect me for what?

 _You're not making any sense. But that's to be expected. You must not be in your right mind, being around this environment. Don't worry. I'll make sure that Father gets you out of here_.

With that, I left. I could hear her calling for me through her thoughts, most likely to try to dissuade me, for some reason unknown to me at the time. But I kept walking, her calls fading the further I went. I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Not if I could help it.


	5. Chapter 5

Back in my rooms, I paced and tried to think of the best way to make my father listen to my side of the story. I had to save Ranien. If anything happened to her, it would be on my hands for having been in that tussle in the first place. If I hadn't let them push me around, she wouldn't have come to my rescue and gotten so fired up… Literally. But now that I thought about it, the way her appearance changed seemed so familiar somehow. Like I'd heard or seen it somewhere before.

Then I suddenly remembered the book Ranien had taken from the Library the night before. I ran to the vanity table and opened the secret compartment. Taking the book in hand, it was as warm as it had been before, and I opened it, flipping through the pages. I was looking for the passage I had read the night before. Finding it, I read the words again.

The book fell from my limp hands as I realized what had happened earlier. Phoenix-Born. Ranien was Phoenix-Born! That was the only explanation.

The shock was too great. I fell to the floor and sat there, staring at nothing in particular. In only a couple of days my whole world, everything I thought I knew, had not only been turned upside down once, but twice. I learned that Ranien and I were half Human, and that she was a Phoenix-Born.

The hours passed, and the sky seemed suddenly brighter. I was still on the floor, staring at nothing, when a knock sounded on the door, jerking me out of my stupor. Grabbing the book, I was just placing it back in it's secret compartment when the door opened and a herald came in.

He looked at my canopy bed, still made, and then gave me a skeptical look. "Did you not sleep, Your Highness?"

I knew that if I admitted that I had not slept, he would inquire as to why, and I'd have to come up with some excuse on the spot, but if I said I had then it would look as though I had no compassion for my sister. The servants of the palace respected family bonds above all else, and I had to have a good standing with them. If I didn't, they would spy on me and cause me much trouble. So I decided to make a compromise of the two.

"I did sleep, but not much nor well… As you are aware, my sister-"

"Yes," interrupted the herald, his bald head nodding. " 'Tis a terrible thing, Your Highness… Words can not describe the shock I had when I heard of Her Highness'… Condition…"

I gave him a sharp look. Condition? What did he know of her "condition"?

Noticing my look, his eyes fell and he gave a bow while saying, "Pardon, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect."

"I'm sure…" I wasn't sure. But I decided to let it go, not knowing which condition he spoke of. Was it the "condition" that I'd heard on the streets? Or did he know that she was Phoenix-Born? I suddenly just wanted him to tell me what he wanted to say and get out of my room.

"What brings you here?"

"Ah," he said, as if just remembering the purpose which brought him to my room. He straightened his back and said, "His Majesty requests your presence in the throne room."

"What? The throne room? Why?" All manner of ill imaginings swept through my mind as to the sudden invitation.

"For Her Highness' sentencing, of course."

My heart stopped at that moment. "Sentencing? What sentencing?!" I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him until he told me everything.

"Your pardon, but that is all I know." He then looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. "I was just as shocked as you."

Without bothering to change clothes, something one of status must do before facing the court, I ran out of my room and down the hallways to the throne room.

This couldn't be happening. How could he give Ranien a sentencing the very next day? How could he give her a sentencing at all?! She was a _princess_! She was his _daughter_!

My mind and heart in turmoil, I flew to the door of the throne room and knocked on the door with all my might. The doors opened with a slowness I found most aggravating. I had to enter quickly so that I could save Ranien! When they were open just enough, I squeezed myself between them and ran down the aisle. I could feel the court's eyes on me, but I didn't care.

I saw Ranien on her knees in a white prisoner's gown, her black and white dappled hair falling in strands around her face, and my father sitting on the throne. I did not fear him this time. The only thing I was thinking was that I had to save my sister.

"Princess Kari. You have been summoned here to take witness of your sister's punishment for inflicting serious damage on her own kind," said the king. He stood from his throne, an imposing figure, and walked halfway down the steps for, what I imagined, dramatic effect. "Princess Ranien of the Dar'oka Deep, hear and obey the command of your king and father: You are hereby sentenced into exile for a limited time until I find your penance has been paid. No one is to speak, look, listen, nor touch you. You will be kept in a castle far from here with only a few servants to bring your meals three times a day. May you rejoice that I am not taking your head instead." With that, he turned, re-ascended the stairs, and exited through a back door.

I couldn't help but stand there. The shock was too much. I hadn't been able to do a _thing_ for her. If only I hadn't thought I had more time. If only I had tried harder…

The guards lining the walls moved forward to surround Ranien. Again, not touching her, they started leading her out of the room.

"Ranien!" I cried, running after her. I couldn't just let her go like this. She turned her head around and looked at me while continuing to be shepherded out of the room.

I saw a single tear fall down her face as I heard her voice in my head. _Don't worry, Kari. I'll be okay_. _Live for me while I'm gone._ And then the doors closed, and I could see her no more.


	6. Chapter 6

"How could you do that?! How could you banish Ranien?!" I screamed at Father, not caring if he were King or not. He had taken my sister away from me. My _twin_. The separation was nearly impossible to tolerate. It was as if a part of me had been taken away too.

"It was for the good of the people, and for you," he said quietly, his head hanging in his hands. He had a look of utter and complete defeat about him. But I shoved any empathy I felt for him aside.

"What are you talking about?! If it hadn't have been for those three kids, this never would have happened. Punish _them_ instead! I already told you what they did and said to me!"

"Don't worry, they'll get their just punishment… But this couldn't be avoided."

"I didn't want you to avoid anything, but you didn't have to send her away like that! To have no one to talk to, or even to look at her or hear her voice? Don't you think that's too much?!"

"You dare question your father and King?!" he shouted, standing abruptly. He'd had enough. "I did what was best for my people, and for you! And I would never let any harm befall one of my daughters! The thought that you could think so is repulsive." He turned away from me, no doubt unable to look at a daughter who thought so little of him. "It's just that too many people saw what happened."

"What?" Did he know that Ranien was a Phoenix-Born? No… That couldn't be possible… Could it?

"There's something about your sister, and yourself, that you don't know…" Father gave a heavy sigh, as if readying himself for what he would say next. "You're both… Phoenix-Born."

Both? … BOTH?!

"I'm… I'm Phoenix-Born, too?!" I nearly fell to the floor. It seemed impossible, but now that I thought about it, it made sense. We were twins, after all, and twins are alike in everything except personality.

Father lifted his head and gave me a hard stare. "So you're already aware that Ranien is Phoenix-Born? Makes sense… The book about it was missing from my study... I should have guessed that you and Ranien were involved with it somehow."

"So, what? You're going to punish her for something she had no control over? We didn't ask to be Phoenix-Born, you know!"

"You think I'm PUNISHING her for being Phoenix-Born?" He looked truly hurt. "Whether it was willed or not, the fact is that by showing her powers, like she did yesterday, put both of you in danger."

"What danger?" Were there other people who knew about Phoenix-Borns? Did they hate us? Why must everything be so complicated?

"There is a secret organization, made by one of the first Phoenix-Born, Chaos Von Kreiger. No doubt you've read about him already in that book." He went to look out the window, his eyes seeming to be seeing things from long ago. "Its name is the Black Flame. The search out any and all Phoenix-Born and subjugate them to a lifetime of servitude, or even worse, sacrifice them to claim their powers to try to resurrect the Dark Phoenix and bring an end to the world." He turned back toward me, and to the present day, and approached me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I had to send her somewhere safe, so that both she and you would be safe from them. Contrary to the commands I made at court, she has been taken to our other palace, not even a few day's ride away, with a hundred soldiers to protect her. I only said those things so that if any of the Black Flame caught wind of Ranien being Phoenix-Born, they would search elsewhere."

I couldn't believe him. This was too much… I took a step back, letting his hand fall from my shoulder.

"You could have at least explained all of this to her instead of making her think that you sent her away because of that girl! You could have kept her here with us and fought off all of those Black Flame people! A thousand soldiers are better than a hundred!" My fists shook in rage, tears streamed down my face.

"I already explained everything to her, and I couldn't anticipate an attack on the palace. There are too many lives at stake."

"What?" He explained everything? Was that why she wasn't afraid? That's why she told me to stay out of it. So that the Black Flame wouldn't come after me as well. Oh, Ranien. My poor sister…

"I told her everything, and she agreed to leave," Father continued. "We both agreed that her leaving the palace was the best thing for everyone. At least until we can make sure no one here is working for the Black Flame who will report her."

"I'm going to kill them…"

"What?" He seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst.

But I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about doing good or doing evil. I no longer cared about anything except getting my sister back. And if the Dark Flame was standing in my way, then I would rid the world of them. All of them.

"I'm renewing my fencing and archery lessons tomorrow. Don't try to stop me."

With that said, I left the room and my shocked father behind, and started planning my revenge on the Black Flame for separating Ranien and me. And also planning on how to find her and get her back. The original question about our mother lying so far in the back of my mind that it wouldn't be until someone else spoke of her that I remembered I had one.


	7. Chapter 7

For seven years, I practiced the sword and bow. I also practiced the arts of balance, listening, tumbling, swimming, riding, and use of rope. I quickly learned that I was best at using a whip as a weapon, and decided to specialize in it.

But among those arts of war, I learned other more… discreet methods. I was a princess, and so diplomacy was something I had to learn whether I wanted to fight the Black Flame or not. I found out that bending other's wills to my own was far easier than I had ever thought, and my overall knowledge in things developed and expanded.

At night, when everyone else lay sleeping, I spent those precious hours honing my newly-found magic. I practiced my power of healing, moving silently, concentration, craft, perception, stealth, and spell-craft. I often looked at the book Ranien had taken from the study. Father knew I had it, and I sometimes wondered why he didn't take it away, but finally concluded that he must want me to learn more about myself. While studying the book, I often made myself "Flare Up", or so the book called it, to see what else I could do with that power.

My skin was as hot as Ranien's had been, and when I looked in the mirror, I looked exactly as I remembered her looking that fateful day. I also realized that the book was right about resistance to fire, because my skin was already so hot that putting my hand in my bedroom fireplace did little to no damage, even if left it there for a long period of time. But it was also correct about being weak to cold. One late winter night, it began to snow, and I wanted to test the theory of being weak to cold. After flaring up, I opened the window and the blast from the cold snow-drifted wind assaulted me like invisible ice sickles stabbing me all over my body. I immediately recalled my Phoenix-Born power, something the book called "Cooling Down." Although still in pain from before, the winter wind was no longer painful, but only an uncomfortable coldness.

Remembering another passage in my book about another of my powers, it said that "Fast Healing" was usable only when I'd "Cooled Down", and was quicker the more powerful I became. I immediately called on the power of Fast Healing to take the pain from the cold away. It was harder than I'd expected and required a lot more concentration than "Flaring Up". But, I eventually mastered that ability as well.

Things were going well. I believed myself ready to rescue Ranien. But things didn't quite go according to plan.

I was walking down the hallway toward the royal gardens, where I'd heard Father to be. I wanted to tell him, _show_ him if necessary, that I was ready to rescue Ranien. That these past seven years were not in vain.

My steps carried a sense of purpose as I walked with Kolni and Ranin, two military generals and also my teachers, toward where I believed my father to be. I had spent more of my time with the commanders and generals of our army than I had with my tutors and etiquette ladies, and it showed. My frame was well built and toned, instead of willowy and fragile. My skin carried scars brought by training, where other court ladies' skin were blemish free. I cared nothing for these things. It did not matter to me how my appearance changed, as long as I was able to fulfill my mission.

Father had tried to dissuade, bribe, even trick me out of following this path, but I held true and did not let him. Many times I wanted to. Many times, I thought it would be so much easier to forget Ranien and live my own life. But then I remembered her face as she was led away for the last time. How that single tear had fallen from her dark green eyes as she had told me everything was going to be alright. She gave her life for mine. I would do the same for her.

Turning a corner, we opened a door and entered the royal gardens. Looking back on all my adventures, I now remember the royal gardens of being nothing beautiful. After all the colors I've seen, those gardens of black and grey, illuminated by the pale, filtered sunlight, can now hold no sway of awe over me. But for a Dar'okan Elf who's known nothing else, the royal gardens was a place of great beauty. The flower petals looked like black and white silk, the dew on the grass underfoot like tiny diamonds.

But I paid no attention to the frivolous flowers. I did not romanticize the dew on the ground. All I did at that time was walk with my comrades toward my father, a statue-looking being in the middle of a pixie-land.

"Father," I called out to him. Hearing my voice, he straightened from smelling a rose.

"Good afternoon, Kari," he smiled and replied, turning to face me. Seeing my companions, however, his eyes narrowed, his smile faded, and his voice grew suspicious. "What brings you here?"

"I'm ready, Father. Ready to bring back Ranien, and defend her, myself, and everyone else from the Black Flame." I stood before him like a soldier: head and shoulders high, but not with so much arrogance as belief in my own ability. Father quickly looked me over, and seemed to recognize the comparison between my stance and those of the men behind me.

"That is not how a princess should stand…" he said quietly, almost as though to himself. I chose not reply. He was quiet for a long time, lost in his own thoughts. He suddenly looked up and said, "Is this really what you want to spend your life doing?"

"Yes, Father," I replied without hesitation.

He sighed a somewhat resigned sigh. "Alright. But because I still worry about my little girl," he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "you'll have to show me what you can do before you head out on this fool's quest."

I glared. If he was calling it a "fool's quest", that meant he still didn't believe I could do it, even after all these years. Well, whatever test he had planned for me, I'd prove him wrong.

"Come to the arena tomorrow at dawn. There, we will start your test." With that said, he turned around and left the way I had come in.

The arena… He either wanted everyone in Dar'oka Deep to witness my test, or he needed a big enough field. Perhaps some combination of the two.

That night, I was in the training grounds practicing my whip techniques on a mannequin. I had to prove my father wrong, that way I could save my sister. She'd been locked away in that castle for too long. I didn't know why he still kept her there. Surely it was safe for her to come back. Lost in my own thoughts, and concentration on my technique, I barely heard the footsteps behind me. But I _did_ hear them.

Quickly pivoting my body, I used my free hand to grab the dagger at my waist and stepped to the side, avoiding any possible attack. I was now behind my attacker and put my dagger to his throat.

"Who are you? Who sent you here?" The man's hands slowly raised in the air.

"Easy there, Princess," he said while turning around. "Though, if you avoid attacks like that tomorrow, your father's monsters have no chance." He turned around, and I recognized him at once.

It was Kolni, one of the generals I practiced with, and who had walked with me to meet my father. I smiled and put my weapon away.

"What brings you here so late?" I asked him.

He was young for a general. Or what the Dar'okan Elves consider young. He looked no older than thirty in Human years, but was actually around 115 years old. He had quickly become my best friend.

"Isn't that what I should be asking you? What are you doing here, training all by yourself? With a match at dawn, no less." He took a sword from a weapon rack and began swinging it around. To anyone who didn't know him, it would look careless, but I knew that he knew what he was doing, seeing as how he made general so young.

"I just thought I'd get a few whips in before heading to bed. Never hurts to be prepared," I replied.

"Speaking of being prepared," he said as he put the sword away, "what are you going to do if the arena's full of people tomorrow? That'll make it hard to Fast Heal. You wouldn't want to use those powers of yours in front of all those people with the threat of the Black Flame still at large."

Besides my father, Kolni was the only one in the whole Dar'oka Deep who knew I was Phoenix-Born. He'd caught me one night while I'd been Flared Up, and I'd had to explain my whole story and situation. Luckily that was many years ago, and since I wasn't being hunted by the Black Flame right now, he hadn't betrayed me. I knew I could trust him with anything now. It also took a huge weight from my shoulders, knowing that there was at least one person I could turn to.

"No," I agreed as I sat down and Kolni sat down beside me. "But if the arena is full, then obviously all my powers are prohibited. I can't risk anyone finding out about me. That would ruin-"

"Everything your sister did for you," Kolni finished.

I nodded, looking at my shoes. "Yes… I'll just have to rely on my other abilities. Besides, it's not like I'll be able to use those powers once I leave anyway."

I looked back up at him and noticed Kolni's head was bowed, his face contorted in sorrow and what looked like… pain?

"Kolni," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Shaking his head, he said hoarsely, "Nothing." He stood up and began walking away. I stared after him in confusion. This wasn't like him. He was usually so bright and full of life. Seeing him this way… I didn't like it. I worried for him. But I knew that no good would come from making him talk to me. He would talk when he was ready.

I got back to my feet and decided to train a little more to clear my head before retiring.


	8. Chapter 8

The arena was already filling with people, even so early in the day. I looked through the gate blocking me from the arena, and stared up at all the people. How my father was able to get the word out to all of Dar'oka Deep in the span of an evening is beyond me, but he did. Thousands of people were filling the seats, ready to watch Princess Kari, sister of the notorious were-beast, fight to prove her skills to the king.

My stomach suddenly felt uneasy. So many people would be watching. If I were to fail, everyone would know first-hand. And I wouldn't be able to use any of my powers. I sighed. It was just as well. Like I had said last night to Kolni, powers wouldn't be able to do me any good on my quest anyway, besides getting me hunted. I would have to pass this test on my own merit, without any mystical help.

I closed my eyes and drew a deep, calming breath. I had to face and defeat every enemy Father laid out for me today. Nothing else would do. Defeat them and prove to my father my abilities, then set out on my quest and get my sister back. With that one goal in mind, I was ready to begin.

"Good luck out there," came a voice to my right. I turned my head and noticed Kolni standing there. His face though was unreadable. "I'll be cheering for you." And then he left. I hadn't been able to say a word. Though, I wasn't sure what I would have said, had I the chance. For some reason, I felt like he was pulling away from me. The thought saddened me, and I had to shake my head to clear the thoughts. I could not have any distractions. I had a goal, and I had to see that it was done.

Trumpets suddenly sounded, and the gate I had been looking through was pulled up with a rusty groan. I watched as it moved, and waited patiently. This was my chance, and I would not be taking it lightly. I stepped forward when the gate had been pulled up all the way. I was used to the studded leather armor. It wasn't much for protecting oneself against stab wounds, but it enabled me to move quickly and protected me from slash wounds. All I had to do was be faster and more accurate than my opponent.

As I walked to the center of the arena, cheers from the crowd grew to a deafening roar. I looked around, and finally spotted Father, seated in a private and more luxurious area from the rest of the citizens. Even from this distance, I could see that he was trying his best to remain expressionless, but I could see the worry in his eyes. I smiled a little over my father's love, and gave him a nod, signaling I was ready for my first opponent. I saw Father raise his hand and drop a white cloth.

A gate diagonally to my left opened, and out from it came many of the Dar'oka Deep's wolves. I focused on my first enemy and blocked the jeers of the crowd from my mind.

There were about five in total. Their black eyes and equally black fur made them look like shadows, stalking their prey in the early, pale sunlight. They began growling and showing their teeth, drool dripping to the sand. I grabbed my whip and readied myself against their attack.

The first wolf lunged, and I managed to side-step it, so that it fell and rolled in the dirt. Soon after, the second came. It was just far away enough that when I cracked my whip on it's back, the tip ripped open its flesh. The wolf gave a loud whimper and retreated. The third and fourth came after me at the same time. I cracked my whip again, wrapped it around the third wolf's neck, and flung it into the fourth, sending them both spiraling into the sand. The fifth growled and circled around me, stalking, as if looking for any weakness. The other wolves got back to their feet and formed a circle around me. This was bad…

"I'm done playing around with you puppies," I mumbled to myself.

As if it had understood me, the fifth wolf growled and lunged. The others lunged too. This was not a fight I could win with a whip. With my free hand, I drew my sword and gracefully spun around in a circle, slicing into each wolf. They fell in sync: five, four, three, two, one, their corpses surrounding me.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and men in servant uniforms came out of one of the gates to drag away the bodies of the fallen. Their bodies left streaks of red, a color we rarely saw, and I waited patiently for my next opponent. About a minute later, a gate directly in front of me opened, and out stepped a gigantic Ogre.

It's enormous size shook the ground as it walked, and I was momentarily shocked still. Not only was its appearance grotesque, with it's over-sized teeth and warty skin, but it's smell was not unlike the dungeon I had stepped foot into many years ago. Not only was there the smell of rotting flesh, but also that of waste, as if it had spent many weeks living in it's own dung. It was hard for me not to vomit. Even the crowd seemed to have a difficult time with the smell.

The ogre's eyes looked around the arena, as if looking for the easiest prey. When its eyes landed on me, it did not hesitate, and ran towards me. I readied my mind and body, as I was taught, and waited for the opportune moment to bring this Ogre down. While in training, General Ranin had taught me that the larger your enemy, the harder they fall, and I planned to use this tactic against my enemy now.

When the Ogre was upon me, and raised it's club to smite me down, I tumbled in between its legs. I jumped back up just as the club landed on the ground, making the whole arena shake. While in midair, I pulled out my whip and snapped it around the Ogre's neck, lifting me onto its back. Not knowing what had just happened, the Ogre stood back up and began reaching around its shoulders to get me off. The motion tried to swing me from side to side as it tried desperately to catch me, but I held firm to my whip and planted my feet into it's back.

I climbed up the Ogre, and holding onto the whip with one hand, I drew my sword with the other and pierced in a downward motion in between the Ogre's neck and back, severing it's spinal cord. The beast didn't stand a chance, and dropped to the ground, defeated. I rode it's back as it fell, and sheathed my weapons once again as the dust settled.

The cheers this time were louder than they had before. I waited until the dust was out of sight, as I looked back up at my father. He had a small smile as he looked back down at me, and as the gates rose and men came out to drag the Ogre out of the arena, his smile faded.

Another gate behind me was being opened, and as I turned to look at my final opponent, my blood ran cold. Out from it came my only friend, Kolni. He had on full battle armor and carried his sword, his helmet under his other arm. As he walked up to me, a smile that did not fully reach his eyes came to his face.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said, as if we had been in any other place than the one we were in.

"Kolni… What are you-"

"Doing here?" He gave a chuckle. "Well, it just so happens that the king requested I be your final opponent. Good job on the other two, by the way. I figured the Ogre would have given you much more trouble."

Father? I looked back up at Father, but his face was totally expressionless. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was this some kind of test other than that of my battle skills? I looked back at Kolni. He still had on that smile, but I knew that he didn't want to fight me any more than I wanted to fight him. But since my father had requested it, he couldn't refuse.

"Begin!" Came my father's voice.

Kolni put on his helmet and raised his sword. "It's not really fair how I get all this armor and you don't, huh? Do your best, okay? Because I won't be going easy on you."

"As if you ever have," I jokingly replied.

His sword swung down on me, and I barely had enough time to unsheathe my sword and block the attack. The blow was so great, it made my arms vibrate with the force of it. He really wasn't taking it easy on me. I pushed the blade away and made an attack of my own.

The battle went on like that for quite some time: lunging, parrying, blocking, dodging. Until it came to one decisive maneuver. Kolni raised his sword in the air, and I realized that I hadn't used my whip at all during this battle, and my arms were growing weak from using the sword this whole time. I quickly equipped it and snapped it around his wrist and jerked it down, disarming him. I pulled him forward and put my sword to his throat. It seemed too easy a defeat for how long we had been fighting, but I was hardly going to complain.

Cheers erupted the like I'd never heard before nor since. I released Kolni, and he stepped back and pulled his helmet off, a bright and true smile on his lips. He laughed lightly and clasped me on the shoulder.

"Good job, Princess! I wondered when you were going to get that whip out." He winked at me playfully and we walked toward the exit gate, the cheers of my name being chanted in the crowd.

I'd bathed and dressed after the tournament, putting on a dress I was able to move around freely in, but was still appropriate for court. As I walked toward the throne room, Kolni, as if by magic, appeared by my side.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you in a dress. I almost forgot that you were a girl," he teased.

I laughed a little. "Had I the choice, I think I would have preferred being born a boy. It would have made sparring with you and Ranin that much easier."

"Psh!" he retorted. "Your arms would have been just as scrawny, boy or girl." He suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear, "But I prefer you as a girl much more than a boy."

Shocked, I leaned away from him to look into his face. He released me quickly and put up both hands into the air as if in surrender.

"Just kidding! Geez… You don't have to look at me like that." He laughed and walked ahead without me.

I watched him walk away, wondering exactly what that meant, if it meant anything at all. Shaking my head, I decided not think too think much about it and continued walking toward the throne room.

As I entered the throne room, cheers and claps resounded around me. I was not expecting this, and it took me by surprise. Everyone in the court was smiling and clapping, cheering for me and giving compliments on how I did on my test as I walked down the aisle toward my father, who looked down on me with a sort of sad smile. As I approached and began to bow, Father suddenly raised his hand and stopped me.

"You have proven yourself in battle today, and your king is proud." His smile faded a little. "But as a father, I can not approve of you going out on your own on this quest." Father stood and began walking down the steps toward me. It was the first time he had ever been paternal in the throne room, and I was shocked silent. "But also as your father, I can understand you, and although I may not agree, I must let you do this. If it is what you really want." He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? There will be no going back after this."

I nodded my head. "Ranien sacrificed herself to save me. Now I will do the same for her."

Father gave a sad smile and nodded. "Then see to it that you bring her home safely." With that, for the first time I can remember since I was a small child, my father hugged me. And in front of the entire court, at that.

Suddenly, the throne door rooms were thrown open and in ran a ragged man in a servant's uniform, struggling to catch his breath. The entire court became silent.

"What is this?!" yelled Father, releasing me. "How dare you enter the throne room uninvited!"

"Your Majesty!" cried the stranger, flinging himself to the floor. "The castle! The castle where Princess Ranien has been staying-"

Father's eyes grew wide. "Yes? What about it?"

"It's been attacked, Sire! By the Drow!"

My heart stopped beating at that moment. It couldn't be. The Drow Elves were our mortal enemies. What were they after attacking that castle?

"What happened to Ranien?!" I shouted at the man, taking a step forward.

He looked at me. His face, tear streaks running down his cheeks, was an expression full of sorrow and worry.

"Taken, Your Highness."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Author's Note:_**

 _To anyone who's actually reading this story, I'd like to sincerely apologize for submitting this newest chapter so late in the day. I've had a bit of a busy day.  
_ _Please enjoy._

* * *

I paced up and down the court room. It was empty now except for me, Kolni, Ranin, Father, a few of the other generals, and the Minister of War.

"Do we have _any_ idea why the Drow would attack? Especially at this time?" asked the Minister.

"No," replied Father.

I didn't have to look at him to know he was lying. The only reason why the Drow would attack the palace Ranien was being kept was because someone had leaked that she was Phoenix-Born. It was only speculation, but it was the only reason available since we had received no ransom letter or it's like. I glanced at Kolni, and it was clear he was thinking the same thing.

"Whatever the reason," spoke up one of the generals, "it's clear this is an act of war. We must prepare our forces immediately and plan a strategy of a counter-attack."

"No," Father said. I looked at him then, stopping my pacing. His brow was wrinkled in thought and concern, his hand resting over his mouth. "Ranien has, no doubt, been taken prisoner, and I will not have her killed before negotiations can take place."

"If I may," began Kolni, "I suggest we attempt a rescue mission." With everyone's attention now, he continued, "Have a scout look ahead and see where the enemy is camped, how many there are, and what weapons are at their disposal. With a full-on attack on the palace Her Highness was staying at, I assume an estimated 300 strong."

Father and the other generals expressions ranged from shock to dismay at the estimated number.

"With forces like that, an attempt at rescue will most likely end in defeat!" cried the Minister.

"Not with a small elite team," offered Ranin. We all turned to him in anticipation of what he'd say next. "With a small elite team, we could infiltrate the enemy's forces, find out where the princess is being held, and lead her to safety without anyone being the wiser."

Everyone either nodded or vocalized their acceptance of this plan.

"Then I'm going with you," I said, stepping forward.

Everyone turned to face me with scowls on their faces, all except Kolni and Ranin, who didn't look surprised at my sudden declaration.

"Absolutely not," my father said sternly.

"What? Why not?!" I yelled. "I've studied the arts of war for seven years. I've even proved my skill in battle to you just this morning! Give me one good reason why I can't go."

"Because I can't lose you too!"

Everyone stood and stared at us, shocked. Father walked to his throne and sat down heavily, his head in his hands. He was now so far from the fearsome figure I remembered from my childhood, and I didn't know what to say.

"Your Highness," the Minister spoke softly, "if I may… When your mission was to simply collect your sister from a couple day's journey away, it was… I'm not saying it was _fitting_ for a princess, but it was much more fitting than a dangerous mission, such as this."

I looked at him surprised. Did he doubt my abilities that he'd just witnessed a few hours ago?

"I'm not saying I doubt you," he continued, putting an end to the worries I'd just had, "but you are the _princess_. It simply wouldn't do for a _woman_ , much less a woman of your standing, to go on a mission like this."

 _Ah, I see,_ I thought. _It's because I'm a woman. My skill could match or exceed that of every man in this room combined, and they still wouldn't let me go._

I glared at him, a plan already forming in my mind.

"Of course, Minister," I said sarcastically, malice dripping in every word. "What would a woman know?"

Not hinting my meaning, the Minister smiled and nodded, seemingly happy I'd agreed. Father, on the other hand, looked weary, as if he knew about the plan that was only taking form in my mind at that very moment. Kolni smiled at me mischievously, and Ranin's brow was furrowed, his thoughts unknown to me.

It was the morning of the infiltration, and I had been just been confined to my chambers. I began hurriedly tying together every sheet, blanket, and curtain I could find. Father had placed guards outside my door, no doubt anticipating an escape, but he did not anticipate an escape from my _balcony_. Being on the very top of the palace, finding enough materials in my one chamber to land me safely to the ground was proving difficult. I'd already tied together mostly everything with length, even a few of my gowns, but it still wasn't long enough.

I ripped down the last curtain from a window, and tied it to the rest of the make-shift rope, tied one end of the rope to one of the balcony's railings, and tossed the other end off the side. I looked down to see how far a drop I would have to fall once I got to the end, but from this height, it was difficult to tell.

Gathering up my courage, I grabbed the rope and began inching my way down. Whether it was long enough or not, it didn't matter anymore. Time was running out, and I had to be able to follow the others to the enemy's location. I began to go faster, my fear of falling fading as the thought that I wouldn't be able to follow them came to the forefront of my mind.

When I reached the bottom of the rope, I realized I still had a few stories to go down in order to reach the ground. Falling would not do. I'd end up breaking something, and then what good would I be able to do?

Because the rope was tied to my balcony, the rope was hanging no where near the wall to the palace. I began to force my weight back and forth until the rope started to swing. It took me a few tries in order to reach the ledge of a windowsill that had been in front of me, but eventually I grabbed a hold, and let go of the rope. I was now dangling three stories high from a window.

I thanked whatever had given me the good fortune of having Ranin as one of my teachers, even though I definitely thought differently while being taught by him. His slow, methodical, by-the-book teachings had made me build arm, leg, and core strength, along with weapon techniques, while Kolni had only focused on the later.

I shimmied across the windowsill and let go to drop down to another window below me, and continued until I had reached the ground. My hands definitely hurt by now, but it was nothing compared to the fear I had that I was too late. I ran toward the stables, only to find out that I was earlier than I'd expected, and hid behind one of the palace's walls. The elite team, consisting of a few of the generals, Ranin, and of course Kolni, were only just getting there.

They wore masks over their faces with only their eyes showing, wore no armor, and the black garments they'd chosen were close-fitting to allow fluid and silent movement. I'd donned a similar outfit, myself, having seen what they were planning to wear days ago. If they decided to split up, running into me would not be unlike running into one of their own, and they wouldn't be able to tell me apart from the rest of their party. I was priding myself on my quick thinking when they began mounting their horses and taking off.

I ran to the stable, mounted the horse I'd bribed the stable-hand to saddle the day before, and began trailing them, being sure to stay only within range where I could see them, and they not see me.

We rode at an even counter, that way the horses would exhaust themselves had they been running. It was beginning to get difficult to follow them as we began to get to crossroads. They would take a path, and having just turned down the path they'd taken before, I would not be able to see which way they took until I got to the crossroads and saw dust at the end of one of them. I decided this would not do, and hastened my pace. I could not lose them.

When I got to the last of the crossroads, before a long stretch of road on either side, I looked down both, and didn't see them on either of them. I was not so far behind that I would not be able to see at least the dust clouds that their horses would have kicked up, but there was nothing.

I dismounted my horse and began looking for clues on which way they had gone. I was concentrating on the fact that there were no hoof-prints, and did not hear them sneak up behind me. As I was bending over, examining the ground, I felt something hard and sharp on my shoulder next to my neck.

"You're forgetting your lessons, Highness," came a voice I knew well.

I turned around and became face to face with a masked man, but his identity wasn't lost on me. Kolni.

"What are you doing here, Princess?" asked a deeper voice, whom I knew belonged to Ranin, as he exited the closure of trees along the road, as did the others. "His Majesty expressly forbade your coming."

"My father and the Minister may not approve of me coming along, but you both know full well that I am more than capable of this mission," I countered.

Ranin's eyes narrowed, and the others looked at each other as if asking what to do. Except for Kolni. His eyes were lifted, as if he were smiling.

"Be that as it may, now we have to split our party up so that one of us may escort you back to the palace. I will not have this mission fail because of you, nor will I have us arrested on our return for failure to bring you back." Ranin's voice was low, and denied any arguing, but I ignored it.

"The mission will _not_ fail because of me. I know what I'm doing. Nor will you be arrested, I'll personally see to that. Besides, would you really risk splitting up just to take me back to the castle? If any of you want to keep me from coming, you'll have to stop me with force." I looked around me at each of them, daring them to challenge me.

"You know that it is forbidden to touch you except when given exact permission," Ranin said, his voice sounding exasperated.

"Then you best let me tag along," I said with a smirk, knowing I'd won. "Or face my father's wrath," I added with comical, dramatic flare. I mounted my horse. "After you."

"I fear we shall face his wrath regardless," Ranin muttered under his breath as the rest of them mounted their horses also. Ranin nudged his steed, and began to gallop away, followed by the others.

Kolni kept his horse close to mine and said only to where I could hear, "Good job," and galloped away to join the others.

I smiled to myself before pulling my mask over my nose to hide my face. At least I had one person on my side.

The pale sunlight was fading, marking the end to our first day's journey. By this time tomorrow, we would make it to the palace Ranien had been staying at, and then another day's journey to the enemy's encampment.

We all dismounted our horses and hitched them to nearby trees. Some went to fetch firewood, some went to set up traps for game for tomorrow morning's meal, and the others went to a nearby river to fill the canteens. Being left alone, I felt a bit mischevious.

I laid my sleeping roll out underneath a large tree and sat down before taking off one of the black gloves I'd been wearing. Looking around to make sure no one was looking or coming nearby, I opened my hand and closed my eyes to concentrate. There was a power the Phoenix-Born possessed that I'd read in the book before leaving, which described the Phoenix-Born being able to conjure flames with their hands. I'd had a bit of success with this power before, but not much. So far, I was only able to conjure a very small flame, as opposed to the gigantic fireballs the book described.

Had I flared up, I would have felt absolutely nothing, but as I didn't want to give myself away completely, I'd refrained and felt my ungloved hand start to heat up. It wasn't a scorching heat, but pleasantly warm. I opened my eyes to view my handiwork and noticed a slightly larger flame than I usually conjured. I smiled. If I just kept practicing, eventually I would be able to conjure the fireball's I'd read about.

Hearing crunching beneath someone's feet, I closed my hand immediately and extinguished the flame. A few of the generals emerged from the trees, followed by Ranin and Kolni.

"Do you smell somethin'?" asked one of them to the other.

"Yeah… smells like smoke."

I looked up at Ranin and Kolni, and noticed that they knew what had happened. Ranin was glaring at me, and Kolni was shaking his head. I simply shrugged my shoulders and gave a sheepish smile.

Everyone back at camp, we lit a fire and began making a stew from the fish they'd caught on one of our breaks and wild root vegetables. Having not eaten all day, the stew, which couldn't compare to our royal chef's cuisine, smelt heavenly.

There wasn't much conversation going on, everyone busy with their own tasks, such as mending tears in their clothes from whipping branches, sharpening their weapons, or stirring the pot of stew. I was bored, sitting there not doing anything, so I decided to lie down and get some much needed rest before the day started again.


	10. Chapter 10

We neared Ranien's place of banishment sooner than I had expected; the sunlight had not completely faded by the time our horses walked up to the bridge that crossed the palace's moat.

It was a wreck. Father most definitely didn't send Ranien to a ruin, which was what it looked like now. It was as if the castle had completely burned down. If the Drow were capable of this, then we didn't stand a chance if we got caught.

 _I'll just have to not get caught then,_ I thought. It didn't matter how many Drow there were or what they were capable of. I _would_ bring my sister home.

The bridge was also in ruins, only slivers of stone remaining close to the edges of the bridge in some parts, and slivers of stone in the very middle in others. Each sliver was just wide enough for us to walk across.

We dismounted our horses, and were forced to hitch them inside the road's tree-line, out of site from anyone who would use this road. We couldn't have anyone knowing we were there.

Ranin went first. He turned sideways on the first sliver of stone and inched his way across, quickly moving on to the next. Then, it was Kolni's turn, then mine, and the rest of the generals. Everyone was doing their best to move quickly with as little mistakes as possible. After all, one mistake, and you'd be plummeting down into the murky waters below with no way out.

We were in the middle of the bridge when I heard a scream from behind me. We all turned and saw that one of the men had slipped and was hanging on to the sliver of stone, he'd just been standing on seconds ago, by his fingertips. I wasted no time and sat down, wrapped my legs around the stone and locked my ankles. Having grounded myself as much as possible, I grabbed him under his arms and pulled with all my might. Very little was happening. He couldn't quite wrap his leg back around the bridge.

"Can I get some help down here?!" I yelled at no one in particular. I didn't care who helped, as long as this man didn't fall. The men behind the one who'd fallen looked around at each other, as if asking which one would risk their life for the one who'd slipped.

"Are you serious?!" I yelled at them. "You!" I looked at the one closest to me. "Get your ass down here and help me pull him up!"

"Yes, Your Highness." He copied my movement, wrapping his legs around the stone and locking his ankles. We pulled the other man together and hoisted him back onto the bridge.

I scowled up at the others, breathing heavily from the exertion. "What is wrong with all of you?" I asked, seriously in shock. They all bowed their heads in shame. A fitting expression for their actions just then.

"He is your comrade. Your _brother_ in arms! And it was not one of you, but _I_ who immediately risked my life for his. Your princess!" I stood, no longer able to remain sitting. "I don't think I need to say that I am shocked. You all are supposed to be part of an _elite_ force for this mission, the best of the best, and you are so afraid of death that you won't lay down you lives for your own brothers?"

I scanned their faces, and each one had a look of shame.

"Maybe it's best if you all go home, and I'll carry on this mission by myself."

"No, Your Highness," immediately spoke up the one who'd helped me pull up the falling soldier. "We are Your Highness' elite force, and we will continue this mission, be it victory or defeat." He refused to meet my gaze, but spoke with conviction.

"You realize defeat meaning certain death?" I asked, testing his resolve.

"Yes, Your Highness," he answered immediately.

I wasn't completely convinced, but I decided to give the men a second chance. Their help would come in handy later on, though I wasn't lying that I would continue the mission alone. I nodded, and turned around, ready to continue our way across the ruined bridge.

Ranin and Kolni were both staring at me wide-eyed, like they weren't expecting any of that to come out of my mouth. I wasn't in the mood for any more words, and was anxious to get across the bridge safely.

"If you don't mind, could we continue?" I asked, waving my hands at them to get them to hurry up and move.

They both picked up their jaws and turned around to continue our way across the bridge.

When we finally made it to the front gate, we walked through and entered the large courtyard. The entrance to the palace right in front of us, the stables to the left, and a small smithy to the right. We all went our separate ways, looking for any clues the Drow may have left behind as to why they attacked. Though it seemed quite clear to me, Kolni, and Ranin, the rest didn't know what we did.

I walked up to the burnt wooden door separating me from the palace, and nudged it open with a creak. Soot coated my hand, and I absent-mindedly wiped it on my pants. I could tell that the palace Ranien had been staying at was once beautiful. The walls, floor, staircases, and ceiling were all scorched black, but the underlying beauty was still visible. The floors and staircases were marble, the walls painted with beautiful pictures of our forests and it's woodland creatures with each panel separated by silver filigree, and a crystal chandelier lay in the middle of the floor.

I went up the staircase on the left; they both led to the same floor, so it didn't matter which one I took. I went down a long hallway, doors lined the walls, on either side, in between pictures of our past relatives. None of the doors called out to me; none seemed important in any way, except the last one on the left. I don't know what it was, but something called to me from it. I walked into the room. Like the rest of what I'd seen, it was all burnt. The canopy bed, wardrobes, and vanity table all lay in a crumbled messes where they once stood, as opposed to the scorch marks on the rest of the castle.

I felt her here. It was as if her presence, I still clearly remembered, lingered in this room.

I started searching the ash and charcoal piles, starting with the bed. I wasn't sure what I'd find, if I'd find anything, but I felt compelled to do so. Lifting mostly-burnt pieces of furniture and scorched metal frames, I searched the bed's remains for half an hour before moving on to the vanity table.

I was about halfway through when I noticed a metal box buried underneath layers and layers of ash. I picked it up and dusted it off the best I could. It was Ranien's keepsake box. I remembered it well since it was from our last birthday together. I opened the box slowly and found a few pieces of parchment that looked seared on the edges. Unfolding the first parchment envelope, I found it was a letter without a name to whom it was written to, nor from whom it was from, but the message was clear enough. It was for me, in Ranien's hand.

My dearest sister,

The castle is under siege as I write this even now. I don't know how many men the enemy has, but it is most definitely enough to lay waste to this small palace. A servant, whom I have bonded with over these years, has told me that there is a small secret chamber below the castle, that we can escape from. I don't know it's exact location yet, because he just told me this, but if you have come searching for me, as I know you will, don't worry about my safety. I have the utmost confidence in my new friend.

I have no more time.

So she could have escaped!

I ran to the others, Ranien's message clenched in my hand.

"Ranin! Kolni!" I descended the stairs two at a time to find the rest of the men, except for a few, gathered in the courtyard.

They all looked up from whatever they'd been doing to see me running toward them.

"What is it, Princess?" Kolni asked worriedly.

I held out my hand, the parchment crumpled in my fist, and a huge smile lighting my face. "Ranien may have escaped unharmed!"

Kolni took the letter and scanned it with his eyes, but he did not smile. In fact, the worried look he'd had before seemed to deepen. Ranin also noticed.

"What?" he asked. "Let me see."

Kolni held out the letter to him, not looking at him nor me. I knew something was wrong the moment Ranin's expression matched that of Kolni's.

"What?" I asked impatiently. "What is it?"

"There were no servants, Princess," Kolni said quietly as he looked at me. "Only female maids…"


	11. Chapter 11

"What?" I didn't know what else to say. This changed everything.

"This changes nothing," Ranin calmly stated as if reading my mind and contradicting it. "We already knew she'd been taken prisoner by the Drow, and our mission is still clear: Rescue the princess and get her back to His Majesty."

"What are you talking about, Ranin?!" I yelled at him. "This changes everything! It clearly states here," I grabbed the letter from him and held it out for him to see, "that he's been here all this time, ever since she was sent away! Which also means that 1: There's a Drow spy in our castle, and 2: They've been planning this siege for years! For what end and purpose, we can only imagine…" I was certain I knew their purpose, but with all these other guards around, I wasn't about to let out the secret of the Phoenix-Born here.

Everyone looked at me as if I'd just sprouted wings.

"Ranin, she's right. This _does_ change everything _,_ " Kolni said, turning to him.

Ranin looked deep in thought, but looked up at us nodding. "Of course. This is a lot more complex than we had originally thought." He walked up to me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "But our mission _is_ still the same. We must rescue Princess Ranien." I looked up into his eyes and found a surprising amount of warmth and concern. "Then we can bring this matter to the king, and he can decide what to do next."

"You're right," I said with a nod. "This doesn't change anything right now. Our first priority is to get my sister back." I folded the note and put it into my pocket.

I checked the note again. "…there is a small, secret chamber below the castle…" I held the torch forward and illuminated my path to reveal a winding staircase leading down.

"Do you even know where you're going," Kolni asked while looking around. "It seems we've been here before."

"No, to tell you the truth. There isn't much to go on in the letter. All we know is that it's under the castle, and the castle, as you can tell, is pretty big," I replied, descending the stairs. I heard a few groans and complaints from behind me as we walked down another flight of steps.

When we reached the bottom, all packed together in a very small space, we noticed something that was different from the rest of what we'd seen before: A small, wooden door stood in front of us, nearly big enough for a child. I sighed inwardly, knowing what had to be done. I got on my knees to become level with the door, and swung it open to reveal a long, dark tunnel. The others crouched behind me to peek at what lay beyond the door.

"Are we really going to crawl in there?" asked one of the soldiers with a slight waver in his voice.

"Yeah," spoke up another, "there's no tellin' what's waitin' for us at the end."

I put the torch in front of me again. "Then we'll just have to find out," I said and began to crawl inside. There was a slight pause before anyone began to follow me.

The tunnel was starting to become uncomfortably hot from the heat of the torches, and the walls were wet and slimy, so it was starting to get very humid as well. I believe we were all starting to get a little claustrophobic, but, we did not have to crawl farther. The tunnel suddenly stopped, but what lay before us was scarier than anything we'd faced so far: A brick wall marked the end of the tunnel.

"Uh… guys?" I said uncertainly. "We've got a slight problem here."

"What is it?" asked Kolni, who was directly behind me.

"We've reached a bit of an impasse… There's a wall, and it seems the tunnel has stopped."

I heard a mixture of sighs, groans, and comments, such as, "Are you serious?" and "We're trapped!" from the men behind me.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of here," I spoke out. I had no idea how I was going to do that, though. I didn't know how to get passed the wall, and the tunnel was too narrow to turn around in. We _were_ trapped.

I started pushing against the wall with all my might, and something in it clicked. I immediately stopped pushing, but it was too late. The wall swung forward and I fell.

Screaming, I began sliding down something, toward another something only Dar knew, with my torch flung somewhere else in my panic. The sliding came to a sudden and abrupt end as I skirted across the floor on my stomach. It was painful, to say the least. I groaned as a picked myself up, dusted myself off, and looked around. I couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, I heard a voice yelling at me from far away.

"Princess!" It was Kolni. "Are you alright?!" His voice echoed off the walls I couldn't see.

"Yes!" I answered. "It seems I've reached another room. Please follow, and bring a torch!"

I heard sliding, and saw a light coming closer and closer, so I moved out of the way for his messy landing. To my surprise and embarrassment, his landing was perfect.

Kolni stood up and looked me up and down, smirking, but thankfully didn't remark on my state. He held the torch outward to reveal a room that was larger than I'd originally thought it was, but was still unremarkable. Ranin and the rest of the men eventually made it down, some following Kolni's example of a landing, some following mine.

We followed the only path available and found a ladder nailed to the wall, the only way leading up to a wooden hatch-door. I put my foot on the first step to begin my climb when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned around to see Kolni behind me.

"You've led the way far enough, Princess. Allow me." I looked at him, and then at the hatch, anxious to find my sister, and worried that with someone else leading the way, I wouldn't get to her in time. But I nodded my consent. If anyone could get me to Ranien, it was him. He gently nudged me aside and climbed the first few rows before turning back to me.

"Stay where you are, Princess. I'll check outside this hatch for potential enemies before we continue. We don't know what lies outside."

I sighed in my head and thought that we didn't have time for this, but nodded anyway. It would do us no good if we were all dead.

Kolni continued his climb and slowly lifted the door when he reached the top. I heard something striking the door, and he closed it almost as soon as he'd opened it.

"What is it? I called out to him. "What's going on?"

"We're being attacked," he answered as he latched the door and slid down the ladder and landed among us.

"Damn," Ranin mumbled to himself. "I was afraid this was going to happen."

I looked at him. "What are you talking about? You thought we'd be ambushed at the end of a _secret_ tunnel?"

"Well it wasn't very secret if a Drow spy knew and informed Princess Ranien about it when she was writing that letter, is it?" he countered. "Also, didn't you think it was the least bit suspicious that a Drow spy would escort Her Highness through a 'secret' tunnel when the entire palace was being ransacked by them? He could have simply flung her over his shoulder and walked out!" His face was red, and I could basically see the steam coming out of his ears at having to explain something he found to be so obvious. That made me furious. My eyes narrowed and I walked up to him, toe to toe, face to face.

"Excuse me, Mr. Knows-It-All. I've only been doing this for seven years while you've had _much_ more experience, and I'm sorry for wanting to get to my sister as soon as possible. I must be a very bad person."

He wasn't fazed. He stepped toward me, backing me up.

"You're right, I do have more experience than you, and you'd better remember it. You used the excuse of having trained for seven years with your father, as if it were sufficient time, to boost your image and allow you to come on this mission, and now you use it again as an excuse for making a poor decision, as if it were insufficient. You can't have it both ways." He backed me up against the wall, and I looked around to see if any of the others would come to my aid. They all kept their heads down, as if afraid of getting in Ranin's way.

"You dare speak to your Princess like this?" I asked, lifting my head in false confidence.

"Yes." He replied, to my surprise. "No one else would, and you need to learn." He stepped closer to me than anyone had ever been. "You need to learn that when you use this," he put his finger where my heart was, "instead of this," he put his finger on my temple, "it's not only your life you put at stake, but everyone you love." He stepped away from me. "Brace yourself," he said as he placed my whip in my hand. "We're about to get company."

The hatch-door suddenly blasted open, its chunks and splinters raining down on us. The pale sunlight lit the room from above, but was blocked quickly by enemy bodies jumping down. I'd never seen any other elf race, or another race at all, except from in the many books I'd read, but in real life, the Drow seemed to look a lot fiercer than in any book.

The skin on the Drow ranged from a solid ash-colored to a solid-black, and all of their hair was a bright white, but they failed to blend in with their surroundings as well as we did; their bright hair giving them away. I had only seconds to notice this, and pulled my mask over my nose to keep myself from being recognized as their prisoner's twin, and hid in one of the many dark corners in the room.

Pulling out one of the three throwing knives I carried, I took aim at a Drow who had one of the men cornered and released it. The knife buried itself in the elf's back, and he fell to the floor. I hit another one who looked to be getting the upper hand on another soldier, and another. I was out of knives to throw. My only weapons left were my sword and whip. Choosing not to fight hand-to-hand combat, I unfurled my whip that'd remained in the same hand Ranin had put it in. I looked around for my next victim. Each of my companions looked to have the upper hand on their foes at the moment, and I hid in the shadows watching until they needed my help.

Suddenly, the light dimmed once more, as a masked Drow fell through the door and landed among the men. I could immediately tell that this must be their leader. As for the mask, I had no idea why he'd wear it since none of the others seemed concerned to hide their faces. The elf seemed unconcerned and slowly walked around the fighting, looking from side to side, as if searching for something. And I knew what that something was. Me. The spy at the castle must have told the Drow that I was coming. Which meant I knew who the spy was.

I sank deeper into the shadows as the elf came closer and closer to me, but seeming not to see me. My head tried to come up with some kind of plan to take him down, but I couldn't think of _anything_ at the moment. I looked around for someone to come to my aid, but they were all still focused on their own battles. I knew I had to handle this one myself. He was now just outside of my shadowy corner, still searching for the person he knew was there. But he wouldn't see me, because I silently tumbled behind him into another dark corner that was closer to where one of the three fallen bodies lay with my throwing knives. He quickly turned around and looked into the corner I'd just been in.

While he was distracted, I knelt down and removed the knife from the fallen elf's back, and stood back up, my back firmly against the wall. My foe had turned back around now, having not found his prey. But if I'd had my way, the hunted was about to become the hunter.

I raised my hand, taking aim to throw, my heart beating rapidly inside my chest, and I fought desperately to control my breathing. I released it, the knife whistling through the air, toward it's intended target. A target it didn't find.

The elf stepped to his right, and held out is hand with a faster speed than I'd seen Ranin or Tolni use. In his hand, caught in midair, was my knife.

I silently gasped to myself as my eyes grew wide. This was impossible. With no other choice, besides my sword, I readied my whip.

"If you're thinking of using that, you'll find that it will not work," came a voice I didn't recognize. It was deep, rich, and honeyed, like my favorite desert. The Drow turned toward my direction and looked right at me, which is when I noticed he'd been the one speaking.

He dropped the knife with a metallic clink, slowly began walking toward me, and removed his mask, his long white hair moving around and framing his dark face. My hand holding my whip grew limp, and it dropped to the floor. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen, and my breath caught in my throat. The sight of his beauty stunned me still.

"As always," he said as he approached me, now close enough for me to touch. "My curse has rendered you paralyzed." He reached up and removed my mask as well, softly running the back of his long, elegant fingers across my cheek. "Hello, Princess Kari."

Suddenly, the magic spell he'd had over me was broken as he turned away from me, unsheathed his sword faster than I'd ever seen it done, and shoved it into the body of someone I couldn't see. Until I saw the face of that someone as he fell to his knees and to his death.

Kolni.

Without a word, without a sound, nor hesitation, I pulled my sword out, and slid it through the Drow's stomach as he turned back toward me. His eyes were wide with surprise, but his smirk was unsettling as he slid off my sword and fell to the ground where he remained.

All the fighting stopped soon after, Ranin and the others defeating the other Drow. But I noticed none of that. My back slid down the wall as I stared emptily at Kolni's dead body, like a part of me had died with him. I couldn't see him for long because my vision became blurred by the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. I moved toward him, slowly crawling on the floor, not having the energy for anything else, and buried my face in his chest. I didn't care about anything except being with him, and laid there silently, the tears rolling out of my eyes and into his clothes, until a pair of hands pulled me off of him. My limp body was turned to see Ranin, his eyes and nose red, his eyes glassy like he'd been crying too, and he pulled me into a tight hug. I felt his tears land on my shoulder, though no sobs were heard.

The men lifted Kolni's body out of the room and into the fresh air, and I lethargically climbed up behind them. Ranin had headed toward the beach that we were near, immediately after exiting, to build Kolni's funeral pyre. He'd said something about not wanting wild animals to dig and desecrate his remains before leaving. After the others had successfully raised Kolni's body out, they went to help Ranin.

It was dark by the time they were done, and it suddenly occurred to me that had the Drow not attacked when they did, we would all, Kolni included, be getting ready to infiltrate the enemy's camp by now. _It's funny how_ everything _changes when_ one _thing changes,_ I thought cynically to myself.

They laid Kolni's body upon the pyre and lit it without so much as a word. Though they needed no words to honor a soldier they admired and respected, I'd wished Kolni had gotten more recognition than he did. Ranin walked up to me, both of us looking at the burning pyre.

The minutes passed, and I thought he was just standing there for moral support when he unexpectedly said, "Kolni loved you, you know." I looked at him with tears in my eyes, shocked that he'd said what he did. "He'd never tell you that of course," he continued, still looking into the fire, not noticing or not caring that I was looking at him, expecting answers. "Said it'd never work out between a soldier and a princess." And with that, without waiting for me to say anything, Ranin turned around and walked into the dark of the forest.

Kolni had loved me? I knew he felt fondly of me, but I had had no idea that his feeling had run so deeply.

I fell to my knees in the sand, my legs no longer able to stand, and my heart breaking all over again as I realized that what I'd felt for him all these years had been reciprocated. I'd loved him since the first time he stood up for me against the other soldiers when they were antagonizing me, but I'd never once thought that maybe he could have felt the same way. I'd let all those little moments we'd shared, where I could have told him how I felt, fly right out the window, and I would never get another chance. And he'd loved me back, all this time. I'd wasted all that time, and now he was gone. My love was gone.

I let out a heart-wrenching scream as I let my pain escape through my mouth, but it wasn't enough. All the tears, the screams, the punches I threw into the sand did nothing. The pain was still there, feeling like it was growing and growing. I stayed there, lying and crying into the sand, until morning came and Kolni's ashes, and my the final tears that escaped my eyes, had turned cold.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**_

 _This chapter, and every chapter I've written before, has been my character's backstory in the D &D game my friends and I are going to be playing later on next week. The rest of the story will be based off of the adventures we have. Because we can only get together once a week, any new chapters from here on out will be posted once a week._

 _To anyone interested, my fiance is having a bit of trouble finding out what he wants to be. If any of you would like to help, please go to_ wiki/All_Base_Classes _and pick a character you'd like to see in the story._

 _Thank you to everyone who has read my story so far, and I'd especially like to thank the one kind person who has left a review. Your kind words brightened my day significantly. Please check back on Saturday, July 23, 2016 for more of_ Phoenix-Born: The Dar'okan Half-Breed!

* * *

Morning eventually came. Throughout the night, my head and my heart waged a war. My heart told me to lie there until I, too, turned into dust. The love of my life was now gone, and nothing I did would be worth it because everyone would die on me anyway. My head told my heart that there was still work to be done, and to get back on my feet and shake it off, because I didn't have the time to mourn.

I was still lying in the same position I'd fallen, the war still being fought, by the time a pair of boots stood before my eyes. I didn't even look up. With a mixture of fatigue and the fact that my heart was winning so far, I didn't have the strength nor will. The person to whom the boots belonged kneeled down, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into a sitting position.

I still didn't look at him, not caring if he was friend or foe. Not caring if I lived or died. Even when I heard the person call my name, it sounded distant and muffled through the pain in my heart.

Then I felt a sharp pain on my cheek that whipped my head to the side. Startled out of my stupor, I looked up at the person who had struck me to find Ranin kneeling in the sand.

Ranin had struck me!

All the pain I'd been feeling turned into a white-hot rage. A rage I couldn't control. A rage I didn't _want_ to control. I no longer cared about anything or anyone.

My eyes began to glow a bright gold. My long, speckled black, grey, and white hair transformed into a fountain of golden threads, and my skin became tattooed in glowing, golden symbols. Deep down, I knew that it was stupid and foolish to Flare Up anywhere where I knew, without a doubt. that I was alone, but I didn't care at the moment.

"You struck me?" I stood slowly, my eyes glued to him, ready to strike him down.

"Kari, listen to me," he started, standing and backing away slowly. With every step he took away from me, I took toward him. "You were dazed, and I tried everything else before, but you wouldn't respond."

"You will call me _Princess_ Kari, or Your Highness, General," I spat the words out, venom coated every word. I hated him. I hated him for not protecting Kolni. I hated him for not protecting my sister. I hated him for everything that had ever gone wrong in my life, whether it was his fault or not. I hated and blamed him for the pain that wouldn't leave my heart.

He stopped backing away, and I was now toe-to-toe with him. I could see sweat beading on his forehead and under his nose from the heat of me being so near.

"I will not apologize." He looked right into my glowing eyes as he said that, meaning every word.

Even while my mind was being taken over by my feelings, I found this statement to be incredulous. "What?"

"You are my princess, Kari, and I love you as I would love a sister." I started walking toward me now, and it was my turn to back up. My rage didn't quite know how to handle what he was saying.

"No," I said, as my eyes now flickered between bright gold and dark green, my rage waning, but fighting desperately to remain alive.

As I backed away from him, I tripped over a piece of driftwood and landed in the sand. Ranin tried to catch me as I fell, but, even in the sand, I backed away from him as if he had a terrible, contagious disease.

"No! I don't deserve it! It's my fault my sister got captured. And it's my fault Kolni is dead... I killed him! _I killed him!_ " I shrieked as I crawled away, tears I didn't think I still had escaping my now green eyes as my rage receded and hid itself deep inside my heart, and my true feelings came into the front. I didn't blame him. I blamed myself.

When he saw I'd successfully Cooled Down, Ranin wasted no time and grabbed me, pulling me close to his chest in a comforting embrace.

"It's not your fault," Ranin whispered in my ear. He held me for a few minutes and repeated those words over and over. After a while, he released me and held me out so that he could wipe the tears off my cheeks.

"It is my fault," I countered, not daring to look at him after trying to use my Phoenix-Born powers against him, one of my dearest friends. "It's all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking at me with concern.

"It's my fault Ranin got captured. If I'd only stood up for myself all those years ago, Ranien wouldn't have had to come to my aid and then no one would have known she was Phoenix-Born. And it's my fault Kolni is dead. If I had just killed that Drow when I'd had the chance instead of getting caught in his spell, Kolni wouldn't have come to my aid either."

Ranin's brow furrowed at the mention of a spell, but he quickly wiped the expression off his face and replaced it with a softer and kinder one. "Ranien loved you," he said. "She would have came to your aid whether or not you'd stood up for yourself. That's what family does. Even when they know you probably have things under control, they will lend you their aid, whether you ask for it or not. It is an unconditional love. One that doesn't need repayment." He stood up then, holding out a hand to help me back to my feet. I took it and stood.

"As for Kolni," he continued, a sadness coming to his eyes as he mentioned his best friend, "He loved you more than a soldier was allowed. You were everything to him, and whether you thought the same about him or not, you were his family. I am sure he does _not_ regret giving his life for yours." He took my hands in his and spoke softly, softer than I'd ever heard him speak. But it wasn't the volume, it was his feeling that made it soft.

"And now your sister, another of your family, needs you now more than ever. You must save her before the same fate that took a hold of Kolni, takes a hold of her."

With those words, my brain slapped my heart and told it that we didn't have time for it's feelings, lest it want to wallow in an even deeper sorrow. And my heart listened. My eyes snapped up at Ranin for the first time, determination set in them, and I gave a single nod. He understood, and nodded back, the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

We all mounted our horses as fast as we could and rode out into the forest in the direction our scout had told us to head.

I felt as if my life's purpose had been restored. With Kolni's death, my purpose had been forgotten. A deep sadness had taken over my heart and mind, and had clouded my judgement. But, thanks to Ranin, it had been restored. He had snapped me out of it, and for that, I would be eternally grateful.

By dusk, we were nearly to where the scout had informed us the enemy's camp was situated. We dismounted our horses, hitched them to nearby trees, and stealthily moved toward the camp. I thought it strange that we saw no light from campfires, nor heard sounds of movement from the enemy soldiers, and voiced my concerns to Ranin in a whisper. It was obvious that he shared my concern, but advised it best that we continue. I nodded and we continued to walk toward the camp.

As we came to the edge of the clearing, we peaked from behind the trees and discovered something we hadn't been expecting to see. There was nothing there. The clearing was completely empty, the only sign of life being the bent grass where the tents had been. I exited the forest and walked into the clearing. I heard Ranin call out to me that it might be a trap, but I did not listen.

How could it be that they were gone already? How could it be that they had left so quickly? And why? These thoughts, and more, flooded my mind, and I stumbled around the clearing looking for any answers I could find for which to answer them with.

Seeing that it was no trap, Ranin and the others ran after me.

Telling the others to look for any clues as the where they may have gone, he walked up to me, grabbed my shoulders, and forcefully turned me to look at him.

"What in the world did you think you were doing?" he yelled, giving me a shake, his face full of anger, and his eyes full of worry. "If this had been a trap, you could have been _killed!_ "

"I'm sorry," I said, and gently pried his hands off of me. "But it's not a trap and they're gone. We have no way of knowing where they went… It's over."

Ranin sighed and stood there for a minute or two not saying a word, possibly not knowing what to say or what step to take next. He then called one of the men over to us.

"Yes, General?" the soldier asked as he neared us.

"Ride to the castle and inform the king of everything that has happened. Ask that the king to send his orders as to what to do next."

"Yes, sir." The soldier crossed his chest with his arm and gave a bow to us before leaving.

"What do we do until he comes back?" I asked.

"We wait."

As the days passed, waiting for the soldier's return and Father's instructions, we busied ourselves the only way we seemed to know how. Some of us fished, washed laundry, or swam for leisure in the lake a few miles to the east; some of us sewed our torn garments or weaved baskets or mats out of the plentiful grass; and some of us set up traps for game, or chopped firewood with axes we'd made out of chipped rock and a large stick tied together with vine. I did all those things, mostly to keep my mind off of everything that gave it cause to worry. What I didn't know how to do, the soldiers showed me. I quickly picked up weaving and making traps, but the rest, such as chopping firewood and fishing, seemed more challenging for me. Though in a few more days, I mastered those as well.

A week came and went, and by the eighth day, the soldier returned. Upon his return, we all gathered around to hear what the king had to say. The soldier didn't look happy, and when his eyes fell on me, he quickly adverted them, as if he were afraid to meet my gaze.

"Out with it, then," Ranin urged him.

"His Majesty, the king, has commanded that we all, especially the princess, report back to the castle immediately, and that the mission be called off until an ambassador from the enemy party comes to make negotiations for Her Highness' release."

There was a deep silence that followed afterward, as we were all shocked still and dumb. I was the one to break the silence.

"What?!" I nearly screamed. The soldier flinched at my reaction.

"Calm yourself," Ranin said quietly as he turned to me.

"Calm myself? Do you know what this means?" I asked, my fists clenched in fury at my father's command. "It means he's given up on finding Ranien. It means Kolni's death meant nothing!"

"We _will_ find Princess Ranien," he whispered, his hands resting on my shoulders to offer at least a little comfort and reassurance. "I swear on my life we will."

"How?" I asked, tears threatening to spill from my eyes once again. "How will we be able to rescue Ranien before it's too late?"

Ranin's gaze adverted from mine as he thought. When he got his answer, his brow furrowed again, and he looked more worried than ever. He dismissed his men, and they all walked away to pack their things and get ready to leave.

"What?" I asked anxiously when all the soldiers had left. "What is it?"

He turned and looked at me. I'd never seen him look as he did now, as if he were about to lose something very precious.

"You have to leave." He said.

"What do you mean?" This didn't make any sense. What would my leaving accomplish?

"This is the only way. You're right," he paused and stepped away from me, his hands falling from my shoulders as he put distance between us. "The king has given up. There's no way the enemy will send negotiations for Her Highness' release. Knowing what we know, Von Krieger is trying to capture all the Phoenix-Born he can, and he will not give your sister up willingly. But it's only reasonable the king make this decision. He has lost a daughter already, and is afraid to lose the other. Since he knows all about this as well, in his eyes, you are now the only heir to the throne, and he has an entire kingdom to think of, along with his family. I've already given my word that I would bring Princess Ranien to you, long before this mission ever took place, but I'm afraid I can't do that anymore. You have to follow find her alone."

I was shocked still, once again. This was impossible I couldn't go alone. I didn't even know where they were or where they were headed.

"No, I can't do this by myself. I need your help!" I yelled as I grabbed his shirt, trying to make him stay with me.

"I wish I could come with you, Princess," he said softly as he unfurled my fingers from around his shirt, and placed me arm's-length away from him, "but I can't. I need to take the blame for you leaving. I can't place this on my men." He then gazed into my eyes, a warmth filling them. "Stay here a moment." He ran to his horse, took something off of it, and ran back to me. "You are stronger than you think, with a determination few have in their whole, long life." He placed what felt like a backpack in my hand, then and said the last words I'd ever hear from him: "Head to the world above. If Chaos Von Krieger was born a human Phoenix-Born, that is where he will surely be."

And then he placed a soft kiss on my forehead and turned away and left me for the last time, without so much as a look behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

To everyone waiting for the next chapter,

I'm sorry to say that it will not be out for at _least_ another month. For all of you fellow writers, I'm sure you can empathize that writer's-block is the devil. I can not think of anything right now, and I feel like I'm slowly losing my inspiration for this story. Especially since the most of people I'd been playing with all moved out of the city, so the game has ended. I was thinking that I could just make it up, but then would that really be a D&D fanfic?

If you would like for this story to be continued and have any ideas on where this story could go, please leave your suggestions in a review. If I don't get any, this story will most likely be discontinued unless I find inspiration on my own.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

-Kathyrine M.-


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